Allen challenges; Webb just shrugs

Former GOP Sen. George Allen’s official entrance into the Virginia Senate race was greeted with a yawn Monday from his prospective opponent, Democratic Sen. Jim Webb, who responded with only a bland statement acknowledging that he’ll discuss his 2012 plans sometime in the next few months. It was hardly the kind of reply one might expect in a contest shaping up as an epic rematch, but it’s one that Democrats have grown accustomed to from the enigmatic first-term senator.

Webb, who narrowly defeated Allen in 2006, has been silent about his intentions and slow to raise money, leading to speculation that he may not be interested in running for a second term. His statement Monday did little to put an end to those rumors.

Story Continued Below

“Sen. Webb remains focused on working with senators from both parties to address the nation’s greatest challenges — as he has since his first day in office,” Webb spokesman Will Jenkins said in a statement. “He will address the 2012 election cycle in the first quarter of this year after careful consideration and discussion with his family.”

While Webb’s indifferent response seemed out of place in the thrust-and-parry of Senate campaign politics, it was in keeping with the former Navy secretary’s unique and sometimes confounding political style — an approach many see as an asset.

“It is who he is. When people see him, they don’t see a politician. He is an instinctive leader whose principled approach to problem solving transcends politics. Regardless of ideology, people respect that. They respect him,” said Kristian Denny Todd, Webb’s 2006 communications director.

“It rubs a lot of people the right way. People don’t like career politicians. He was the anti-politician before it was popular. He doesn’t play the games,” said University of Richmond law professor Carl Tobias.

Most Virginia Democrats are operating under the assumption that Webb will run — an understanding that appears to be based mostly on wishful thinking, rather than inside knowledge.

He was a no-show at a November roast of his colleague, Sen. Mark Warner, to benefit the Virginia Health Care Foundation — an event with a guest list that read like a who’s who of Old Dominion politics. And his representative could not confirm whether he would appear at next month’s Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Richmond, a must-attend gathering for any candidate. He also has less than $500,000 in the bank, a paltry sum for an incumbent facing a tough reelection.

Still, Democrats remain optimistic he’ll run, largely because of the widespread recognition that he operates under a different set of rules than typical politicians.